A History of Ustinov College

1965 - Durham University geography professor, William Bayne Fisher, founded the Graduate Society.

The Graduate Society was established in 1965 for the university's postgraduate community. Its mission was to assist post-graduates with accommodation and build a community where members could meet informally. At its inception, the Graduate Society had 94 members: 86 men and 8 women.

1998 - New accommodation at Howland's Farm opens.

The site on Howland's Farm (a property owned by Durham University) opened to Graduate Society members. Howland's Farm was the first formal accommodation site for the college.

2003 - The Graduate Society becomes Ustinov College.

In 2003, Durham University formally introduced The Graduate Society as a college for post-graduates only. In this induction, its name was changed to Ustinov College, after the Chancellor (1992-2004) of the University, Sir Peter Ustinov .

To follow suite, the House Committee became a Graduate Common Room (GCR) to reflect its role as a college.

2005 - Zu'bi Al-Zu'bi, President of the GCR, coins the college motto: Diversitate Valemus.

Diversitate Valemus translates to Diversity is our Strength. This is fitting given the over 100 nationalities that have called Ustinov home during their education in Durham!

The year after, in 2006, the first college formal was held.

2006 -  The Ustinov Intercultural Forum was established.

Ustinov College established the Intercultural Forum in 2006 to provide a formal setting to discuss members' cultures and build bridges.

The following year, in 2007, the Intercultural Forum established multiple discussion groups to promote lifetime learning: Café Politique, Scientifique and des Arts.

In 2009, Ustinov hosted its first College Honours Awards to acknowledge significant contributions to the Ustinov community. 

2017 - Ustinov College moved to Sheraton Park site.

In 2017, Ustinov moved its administrative offices and the majority of its sleeping rooms to its current home of Sheraton Park. Sheraton House and Neville House share the site, while the Keenan House sits in Dryburn Court and primarily houses members accompanied by their families.

Ustinov Today

In 2024, Ustinov College is home to 1400 post-graduate and PhD students from over 90 countries around the globe. Here is just a little about what who we are and what we accomplish each year:

What Ustinov Stands For

VISION

To be an international exemplar of a postgraduate research community that celebrates the strength arising from diversity, interdisciplinarity and collegiality, and makes a substantive contribution to the intellectual life and reputation of Durham University.

MISSION

To provide a safe, motivating and enjoyable environment that nurtures global citizenship, enables College members to grow intellectually and socially, and facilitates the development of an enduring and mutually rewarding relationship with the College, University and people and communities of the North East.

VALUES

Central to our ethos as a collegiate community are the cornerstone values of respect, trust, responsibility, fairness, integrity, humility, open-mindedness and objectivity. Allied with these values we will openly celebrate leadership, creativity, innovation, teamwork, diversity and excellence.